Fun Spot
Angola, Indiana
By Nate Kohlrusch
August 18, 2001
Note: I use the Griswold rating scale of �3 to +5, with 0 being slightly favorable
THE PARK: General Impressions. +0
This was an odd place. The Afterburner (a relocated Arrow
catapult-launched shuttle looper) was closed the day I was there, so I
ended up paying about $6 to ride their Zyklon ($4 entry fee, $2 ride
ticket). It's literally located in the middle of nowhere, Indiana about
a mile off I-69. There are few carnival-type rides here (swinging ship,
Ferris wheel, tilt-a-whirl, a not-operating Bayern Curve), a waterslide,
some kiddie rides, a go-kart track, a large arcade, and two roller
coasters. I was more than a little disappointed that the Afterburner was
closed, as I have never ridden an Arrow shuttle looper. Speaking of,
does anyone know where this coaster was relocated from?
The staff here was friendly, and seemed more than a little surprised to
see a roller coaster enthusiast stopping by such a little establishment.
The park has very little landscaping, and even fewer paths. Mostly,
guests wander around aimlessly as the entire "park" is really more of a
carnival midway set up in an open field. There is a small zoo included
in the price of admission. I didn't have much time, so I didn't check it
out, but there appeared to be more than the usual barnyard animals; I
know I saw one pen with monkeys in it, and another with tropical birds.
The only park maps were impossible to figure out (how do you get lost in
a 68-acre field?) and I remember seeing only one building that served as
a food stand/gift shop. As I mentioned, I had very little time at this
park, so I only rode the one operating coaster, the Zyklon.
ZYKLON-Steel Pinfari portable twister. Year unknown. +.5
This is another portable steel carnival coaster. I hadn't ridden a
Zyklon before this, so I didn't know what to expect. The layout is
pretty much a cross between a Galaxie and a Schwarzkopf Wildcat. The
cars on this coaster are strange. Picture the Cedar Point Wildcat cars that sit a
little higher, and then add really high-backed seats. That's the only
way I can describe them. And they weren't very comfortable. The ride
provides some nice air on the first drop, but from then on it's pretty
slow and boring (another drop and two helices). The other drop is
relatively small, and not thrilling. And the ride has very little speed
entering the helices, so you never feel the positive G's like you do on
the Schwarzkopf portables. Of the 3 types of portable coasters
(Galaxies, Wildcats, and Zyklons) this is my least favorite.
-Nate
The above park review, and all other reviews contained on this site, are property of Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Geocities and their respective owners. See Yahoo's Copyright Policy for more information.
|
